RelyEx Solutions

Drayage Brokersin Philadelphia, PA

Contact RelyEx today to quote your next shipment.

Because a drayage load can mean a few different things, confusion among carriers is common. Many carriers link drayage with going into a port, but that isn't always true. While all drayage loads typically originate from a port of entry, there are often several legs of a drayage journey before a container turns up at its final stop. Legs of a drayage load may include:

Why Are Drayage Companies in Philadelphia, PA So Important?

You may be thinking, what's so important about drayage? It's such a small step in the container storage transport process. In reality, it's an integral piece needed in the logistics industry and a crucial part of U.S. supply chain management.

To truly understand the importance of drayage, let's use flowers as an example. Most cut flower shipments enter the market from areas in South America until they end up at Dutch auction houses. Once there, wholesalers purchase flowers in bulk and send those products to retail outlets worldwide. Because flowers are perishable, they typically need to be refrigerated and are often shipped in reefer containers. These refrigerated vessels must maintain a certain temp to prevent loss.

Drayage companies like RelyEx allow flower shippers to send their products from Argentinian ports to airports in the Netherlands with peace of mind because their products are protected. The only way to accomplish this feat is with the help of swift, meticulous port drayage services. Drayage companies allow flower shippers to send their products from Argentinian ports to airports in the Netherlands with peace of mind, because their products are protected. The only way to accomplish this feat is with the help of swift, meticulous port drayage services.

If port drayage is compromised, it can cause delays and even fines. You know the packages you get delivered to your front door from apps like Amazon? Without drayage and drayage brokers, one or two-day shipping times wouldn't even be possible.

As a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S. alone, it seems like drayage shipping issues shouldn't exist. But the fact is inefficiencies and congestion are still major problems at ports. Whether it's a lack of carriers, absent chassis, or overburdened terminals, delays lead to missed deadlines, lost revenue, and worse.

But anytime challenges exist, so too do innovative solutions.

QUOTE REQUEST
Container Services Philadelphia, PA

Port

 Drayage Philadelphia, PA

Yard

 Drayage Services Philadelphia, PA

Warehouse

 Full Truck Load Philadelphia, PA

Rail

 Logistic Services Philadelphia, PA

RelyEx Solves Problems

At RelyEx, we like to consider ourselves problem solvers. The nature of the container drayage industry presents new challenges every day, but we're firm believers that there's a solution to every hurdle we encounter. And while some drayage businesses implement a reactive approach, RelyEx customers choose us for our proactive mindset. We take pride in solving your company's drayage challenges to help you avoid frustrating fees, missed expectations, and delayed shipments. We strive to make every transaction successful and streamlined by partnering with shippers who prioritize transparent, prompt, and accurate communication.

 Ocean Container Drayage Philadelphia, PA

RelyEx Has a Unique Vantage Point

RelyEx approaches your business from the customer's perspective - a unique approach that helps us provide high-quality, effective drayage services. We've been in the customers' shoes, know their pain points, and because of that, provide first-hand solutions to stressful supply chain issues. With over 30 years of collective knowledge, our team excels in:

  • Inventory Management
  • Logistics
  • Purchasing
  • Finance

Our varied, high-level drayage shipping experience helps us achieve our overarching goal: expertly managing your freight movement needs. That way, you can direct your time and focus on growing the core aspects of your business while we handle the heavy lifting. Throw in proactive planning to avoid bottleneck situations and strong communication for transparent customer relations, and you can see why so many companies trust RelyEx.

 Warehousing Philadelphia, PA

RelyEx Nurtures Strong Carrier Relationships

When it comes to shipping logistics, it only takes one mistake by a mediocre worker to disrupt your business. That's why, at RelyEx, we pride ourselves on forming and nurturing relationships with carriers who match our standards of care. Our founding partner started his career transporting freight for companies as an on-demand carrier. He uses that knowledge to maximize the resources of our carriers so that our customer's expectations aren't just met - they're exceeded.

Based in the port city of Philadelphia, RelyEx has a keen understanding of the challenges of managing the inbound and outbound flow of containers. Our team of container drayage experts provides your business with unique solutions to nuanced shipping problems, minimizing demurrage and ensuring the successful delivery of your freight.

 Transloading Philadelphia, PA

Customers choose RelyEx because:

  • We are a reliable drayage logistics partner that manages your freight from beginning to end
  • We have a rare industry vantage point with 30+ years of client-side experience
  • We foster and fortify the strongest vendor relations
  • We take a proactive approach to problem-solving, not a reactive approach
Let us know how we can help.
phone-number843-885-3082
Container Services Philadelphia, PA

Your Drayage Shipments Managed from Start to Finish

Some drayage brokers don't care how customers feel about their service as long as they sign a contract and get paid. As a solutions-oriented team, RelyEx takes the opposite approach. We're motivated by the opportunity to overachieve for our customers and to provide them with the best logistics experience possible. With professional experience as carriers and shippers ourselves, we know the roadblocks and challenges you're facing. We excel at mapping out the best plans of action to solve those problems. But that's just the start.

Our tracking experts monitor and manage every aspect of your drayage shipment from booking to delivery, 24/7. Once booked, we look for the availability of your containers hourly once they're at port. When they arrive, our team acts quickly to access your storage containers when they're available.

Plus, RelyEx ensures your company's requirements are met by the carrier during loading and delivery and provide necessary documentation as fast as possible. With real-time tracking updates and access to our customer service professionals, your team has complete visibility throughout the shipping process.

We Source Top-Notch Operators at the Best Prices

Over the years, RelyEx has built a strong network of drayage carriers, transloading locations, and container storage spaces to provide you with the best possible options to match your drayage service needs. We know that searching for quality service presents an added layer of complexity and stress to our customers. That's why we work hard to take that off your plate by connecting you with our reliable shipping partners.

With a background moving freight as an on-demand carrier, our founding partner understands how to maximize the resources and equipment of our carriers to match your needs.

 Drayage Philadelphia, PA
 Drayage Services Philadelphia, PA

We Make Transparent, Timely Communication a Priority

Like other industries, the global logistics space is complex. Mistakes will be made, and problems will happen. With those truths in mind, RelyEx has built its reputation as problem solvers. Unlike other drayage companies, we don't shy away from this industry's complexities because we take pride in solving problems. Even better, we aim to do what's needed to avoid those problems altogether.

As your logistics partner, we will provide your company with accurate, transparent, and prompt communication. If there are unexpected issues, we'll notify you immediately and will provide several options to remedy the problem. We even offer custom reporting for large clients who need at-the-moment updates and quick access to shipment documentation.

We Have Robust Project Management Experience

Why let the unpredictability of your industry dictate your success? With a background working in manufacturing, our founders are familiar with the demands of managing production schedules and sales orders. That experience makes it abundantly clear to us that every business and industry is different. If you struggle with seasonal surges or other factors, our team supports your business with a mapped-out plan and schedule, so you stay ahead of the game.

QUOTE REQUEST
 Full Truck Load Philadelphia, PA

Paperwork Errors

Typically, shippers need four specific documents to clear shipments through customs: A Bill of Lading (or BOL), a commercial invoice, a packing list, and an arrival notice. Seasoned drayage brokers like RelyEx are used to preparing these documents, but new shippers tend to miss this step due to inexperience.

Payment Delays

If a shipper only pays for part of their shipment, a vessel operator may refuse to release their freight until their bill is fully paid. Payment delays lead to cargo detention at the port of entry, which triggers demurrage charges.

QUOTE REQUEST

Documents Received Too Late

Paperwork is needed when you're shipping goods with a drayage company. When documents like the Certificate of Origin or Bill of Lading arrive at their destination late, you can expect demurrage fees. RelyEx avoids this situation entirely by being proactive when submitting paperwork.

Additional causes for demurrage fees can include:

  • Damaged Container Storage
  • Custom Released Containers
  • Storage Containers Are Too Heavy

Free Consultation

RelyEx:

The Supply Chain Partner You Can Count On

At RelyEx, we know first-hand how stressful supply chain problems can be for business owners. Though drayage shipping might seem minor on the surface, it affects every stage of your shipping process. And when inevitable hurdles manifest, RelyEx propels you over the proverbial roadblocks with a proactive mindset and a passion for challenging projects. We believe that all problems have a solution, and our unique vantage point allows us to provide first-hand solutions to customers in a wide array of industries.

When it comes to your business, don't settle for anything less than RelyEx. Contact our office today to learn more about how we make your shipping experience streamlined and stress-free.

phone-number843-885-3082

Latest News in Philadelphia, PA

Conflicting claims emerge as to why the Eagles collapsed

The 2023 Eagles went from 10-1 to 11-6 and one and done. As it was all falling apart, it seemed as if there was a compelling story as to why it happened, one that might never see the light of day — at least not for a while.This week, Craig Carton of FS1 has claimed that he knows what happened, without disclosing what he knows. And it has prompted a mini-media scuffle between Carton and Adam Schefter of ESPN.Jeff Kotuby of BarrettSportsMedia.com ...

The 2023 Eagles went from 10-1 to 11-6 and one and done. As it was all falling apart, it seemed as if there was a compelling story as to why it happened, one that might never see the light of day — at least not for a while.

This week, Craig Carton of FS1 has claimed that he knows what happened, without disclosing what he knows. And it has prompted a mini-media scuffle between Carton and Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Jeff Kotuby of BarrettSportsMedia.com has the details, and the clip of Carton’s original explanation.

“It is a problem that would splinter any group of men — any group of men,” Carton said on the air. “It is a real significant problem and it cannot be fixed. . . . I’m not gonna tell you more than that. I know what the problem was. I know they’re trying to fix it. I don’t think it can be fixed. So it will be very interesting to see if a high-profile player is no longer with the Eagles.”

Carton obviously knows (or thinks he knows) more than he said. His co-hosts clearly know what he knows (or thinks he knows). Watching the clip, it seems likely if not obvious that they goaded him into talking about it — and that they then tried to coax him to go the rest of the way with it. He didn’t, for now.

Enter Schefter. Appearing on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, the topic of Carton’s claim came up. Said Schefter, via Kotuby: “I texted someone in the organization yesterday, and the text I got back was, ‘None of that ‘S’ happened.’”

Well, no S, Adam. No one with the team is going to say, “Carton is absolutely right.” They’re trying to fix it. Part of fixing it is concealing it. So, no, sending a text to whoever gives you a five-minute head’s up about the team’s next official transaction is going to get anything other than a denial. Moreover, that person is going to be very happy if you push to the world the team’s official position on the situation, thereby keeping the Philly branch of the BREAKING NEWS FROM ADAM SCHEFTER pipeline flowing, just as free agency is approaching.

Regardless of whether Carton is right, Schefter’s claim hardly proves Carton wrong. As Carton himself told Erich Richter of the New York Post.

“Considering I never said what the situation was, what exactly are the Eagles denying?” Carton said. “I don’t know what the Eagles are denying. Just because the team is denying something and saying it didn’t happen, we should believe them?

“The fact that this has become such a big deal is comical. When Adam called Howie Roseman, what story did he ask him about in relation to what I said? I was very specific not to reveal what I know to be true. So again, what is ‘total S’ and what is being denied?”

We still don’t know. But something happened both to cause the Eagles to lose all but one of their games after starting 10-1 and to do so with a lackluster overall demeanor and a constant sense of frustration and thinly-veiled internal acrimony. Surely, it’s something more than Big Dom not being around to babysit Nick Sirianni during games.

Beyond the question of what Carton knows (or thinks he knows) is the question of whether it can be fixed. And then the question becomes, if the team decides it can’t be fixed, which “high-profile player is no longer with the Eagles,” if any.

Phillies prospect Andrew Painter not fixated on future or past as he rehabs out of limelight

CLEARWATER, Fla. — This week, a year ago, Andrew Painter stepped onto a mound at the Carpenter Complex and fired a 99 mph strike to Kyle Schwarber. Painter was 19 years old and, in that moment, it was inconceivable that he’d ever be irrelevant again. It’s not...

CLEARWATER, Fla. — This week, a year ago, Andrew Painter stepped onto a mound at the Carpenter Complex and fired a 99 mph strike to Kyle Schwarber. Painter was 19 years old and, in that moment, it was inconceivable that he’d ever be irrelevant again. It’s not as if subsequent Tommy John surgery has diminished the prospect’s shine; he can just move freely and without fanfare now. He will not pitch competitively in 2024.

He signed a few autographs Friday morning at the complex; Painter is not at big-league camp with the Phillies and is conducting all of his rehab work on the minor-league side. He walked over to BayCare Ballpark only because Rawlings reps were at Phillies camp. Bryce Harper spotted Painter on his way back to the minor-league complex. They hugged. Trea Turner teased the young pitcher.

Then, it was back to obscurity.

“We’re just trying to make sure there’s the least amount of distractions possible,” Painter said, “and I can just go in and focus on my rehab and make sure we’re getting better every day.”

It’s difficult to avoid the contrasts. A year ago, the Phillies invited the distractions. Dave Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations, opened the door wide for Painter to seize a rotation job as a teenager. Painter, knowing he had a chance to do something so rare and incredible, came to camp further along in his throwing progressions than usual. He appeared in one Grapefruit League game, spent months trying to rehab an elbow sprain, then underwent Tommy John surgery on July 25, 2023.

Maybe the Phillies would want a do-over on some of it. Painter didn’t.

“I mean, the data said where the sprain was, there was a good chance I was going to come back,” Painter said Friday in his first interview with reporters since the surgery. “Obviously you don’t want to just go straight into surgery if you don’t need it. … Looking back, I’m still glad that we did what we did.”

It’s an injury that had ramifications for 2023 and how the Phillies approached their rotation situation in 2024. But there will be lingering effects. It is not hard to envision the debate next spring training: If Painter is on an innings limit for 2025 after not pitching for two years, does it make sense to waste some of those bullets in the minors? Can he go straight from a prolonged rehab to the majors? Even if the Phillies believe Painter is a singular talent, that will be challenging.

No matter the case, they won’t be able to enter 2025 expecting a full season’s workload for Painter. He will turn 21 in April. So, in April 2025, he will be 22.

“I mean, he graduated high school in 2021,” said fellow prospect Griff McGarry. “Grand scheme of things, it’s a bummer that he went down this past year. But by the time he’s 100 percent, he’ll still be younger than anybody in this clubhouse.”

There were eight pitchers age 22 or younger who started a game in the majors last season. Only Taj Bradley (age 22) and Eury Pérez (age 20) started more than 10 games. So, although Painter will miss two seasons and was fully on track to debut near his 20th birthday, a big-league arrival sometime in 2025 would still put him ahead of most pitchers.

This is why he’s remained high — usually in the Top 20 — on most prospect lists.

Painter was not blind to the fact that he was on the verge of accomplishing something great. “I mean, you can’t live in the future, can’t live in the past,” he said, “especially with something like this experience going through rehab.” He’s throwing from 75 feet four days a week. It is early in the throwing program. The standard recovery from Tommy John surgery is anywhere between 12 and 18 months. The Phillies will be cautious with their prized prospect.

There were disagreements behind the scenes about Painter’s future. His agent, Scott Boras, was concerned about how fast the Phillies were pushing Painter. Painter received numerous opinions on the damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and, armed with that information, chose to follow the Phillies’ original treatment plan. That meant rest and no immediate surgery. Had Painter undergone surgery sooner, he likely would have returned to games (probably minor-league ones) later in 2024.

Now, Painter’s goal for 2024 is modest. There is an outside chance he could pitch in the Arizona Fall League, but the Phillies do not want to establish any expectations.

“I want to throw to some hitters and just be able to feel close to what I was pre-injury,” he said. “Just mentally knowing that I can repeat what I was in the past and get back to that even better than that.”

McGarry is three years older than Painter, but they have become close friends. They saw each other almost every day in the offseason. The recovery from Tommy John surgery is monotonous, and Painter combated that by grilling. “Nothing crazy,” Painter said. “I don’t spice it up too much. I keep it pretty simple.” McGarry played a lot of video games with Painter and they often went to the beach together.

“He’s a pretty creative guy,” McGarry said. “He finds a way to not be bored all day. It’s definitely a grueling process, but he’s super mature. He goes about everything the right way.”

The Phillies were willing to push Painter at such a young age because they saw an athlete who understood his limits. He knew his body. That all fell apart with an elbow injury. It has taught Painter some deeper patience.

“The body always wants to go, go, go, and the rehab can be a little frustrating to try to figure out,” Painter said. “You’ve got to know your body. I think I’ve gotten a lot better at being able to read my body and know when I feel good, when I feel bad, when I need to take a step back. When I’m good to push through something.”

All the Phillies can do is wait. Sometimes, Painter has to remind himself that despite the two lost years, he’ll likely be only 22 when he is fully back to pitching.

“You’ve always got to keep that in mind,” Painter said. “You’ll have days where you’re kind of thinking — especially the long days of rehab gets brutal — you’ve got to look at the future.”

(Top photo of Andrew Painter: Todd Zolecki / MLB.com)

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.

4 factors that will be essential to Phillies' success in 2024

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Phillies manager Rob Thomson has been asked a few times about the good things he has seen in camp since it opened last week.He always offers the caveat that he puts little stock into anything that happens early in camp, good or bad. Still, there have been a few things worth discussing before the Phillies play their first Grapefruit League game on Saturday afternoon against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla.The 1:07 p.m. ET first pitch will be broadcast live on 94 WIP (Scott Franzke and Kevin Stocker in the booth...

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Phillies manager Rob Thomson has been asked a few times about the good things he has seen in camp since it opened last week.

He always offers the caveat that he puts little stock into anything that happens early in camp, good or bad. Still, there have been a few things worth discussing before the Phillies play their first Grapefruit League game on Saturday afternoon against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla.

The 1:07 p.m. ET first pitch will be broadcast live on 94 WIP (Scott Franzke and Kevin Stocker in the booth) and in the Philadelphia market on MLB Network (the Toronto feed).

1. The Chase

The Phillies had the fourth-highest chase rate (31.4 percent) in baseball in the 2023 regular season. It jumped to 36 percent in the final five games of the NLCS.

Swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone has been a point of emphasis since the NLCS. That talk and work will continue throughout the spring and into the season.

“We just got excited and came out of our approaches,” Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long said this week at BayCare Ballpark. “As the series continued with the Diamondbacks, the games became more pressure filled. I feel like we were trying to force getting hits and the action instead of understanding that they weren’t really throwing us strikes. It’s a learning experience. We need to get better at that, and we will.”

It can be tricky, because a big part of everyday work in the batting cage is fine tuning a hitter’s swing. It means throwing hitters pitches they can hit.

“There are strike zone discipline drills,” Long said. “Probably 40 percent [of pitches], even less than that, should be balls. I’m guilty of it. I throw way too many strikes. So we need to do a lot more stuff in the cages, and we will.”

2. Splitters and Sinkers

Not every pitcher comes to camp trying to learn a new pitch, but it is always interesting when they do. Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is trying to throw a changeup. Reliever Orion Kerkering is fine tuning his sinker.

Wheeler threw a career-high 290 changeups in 2019 with the Mets, according to Statcast. Even then, it represented only 9.2 percent of the pitches he threw that season. Wheeler threw only 55 changeups combined the past two years.

“It’s something he really wants,” Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said.

Cotham and Wheeler talked about different grips in the offseason. Wheeler settled on a splitter more than a traditional changeup.

“It’s all semantics,” Cotham said. “A changeup, split, circle change, the goal is for the pitch to be slow. And there’s a lot of ways to do that. But he’s landed on a grip that he likes. It’s been really good.”

Kerkering threw 60 pitches in the regular season: 51 sliders (85 percent) and nine sinkers (15 percent).

No four-seamers?

“Some of the four-seams would be tagged as sinkers,” Cotham said. “He threw the sinker at times but it’s getting them to be two distinct movement profiles. The four-seam would kind of move like a sinker sometimes. So, it’s cleaning that up so it flies straighter and wants to be up, and the sinker wants to run and be in. It’s just the protection pitch that moves closer to a righty. It’s more of an east-west protecting pitch.”

Thomson raved about Kerkering’s live BP on Friday, including the depth of his sinker.

3. An Edge

The Phillies think they can be better defensively this year. Evidence suggests that. They posted -8 Outs Above Average last April and May, but +12 OAA in the final four months, including +8 OAA in September. In the infield, the Phils think they will be better with a full season of Bryce Harper at first base, plus improvements from Trea Turner and others. Turner struggled defensively last year. Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson said Turner has a chip on his shoulder regarding his poor defensive play last year. But then so does Bryson Stott, who was a finalist but did not win a Gold Glove.

“It’s early, but I love what I’ve seen so far,” Dickerson said. “The focus has been great.”

4. Health

Brandon Marsh continues to progress following left knee surgery earlier this month. He is jogging. He remains on the same timeline that has him in the Opening Day lineup. Third baseman Alec Bohm has neck spasms, so he will not play this weekend. Catcher Rafael Marchán has a back issue, so he is being held from action.

Did you like this story?

In this story:

Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him on Facebook .

Couturier, Briere still have bond, at forefront of Flyers’ playoff push

PHILADELPHIA -- Sean Couturier remembers his early days in the NHL, talking to his housemate about how they could make the Philadelphia Flyers better if one of them was the general manager."We used to just mess around when the (NHL Trade) Deadlines come, 'What are we going to do?'" Couturier said. "'I'd do this, this and this.' Now it's all on you, Danny."Those fantasy conversations have become a ...

PHILADELPHIA -- Sean Couturier remembers his early days in the NHL, talking to his housemate about how they could make the Philadelphia Flyers better if one of them was the general manager.

"We used to just mess around when the (NHL Trade) Deadlines come, 'What are we going to do?'" Couturier said. "'I'd do this, this and this.' Now it's all on you, Danny."

Those fantasy conversations have become a reality for Daniel Brière, Couturier's former landlord and teammate who has been general manager of the Flyers since replacing Chuck Fletcher on an interim basis March 10, 2023. Briere was made the full-time GM on May 11, 2023.

The two have been close since Couturier made the Flyers as an 18-year-old rookie just a few months after Philadelphia selected the center with the No. 8 pick of the 2011 NHL Draft.

"My first camp ... (then-GM) Paul Holmgren came up to me and said I would be sticking around for the year," Couturier said. "During that conversation he basically said we don't want you to live on your own, and we either have some billet lady, she took care of some guys in the past, or Danny Briere offered himself to open his house for you to stay there. So, I went with that option."

Briere said it was an easy choice for him to take in Couturier; the same courtesy had been extended to him by veteran players when he was breaking into the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes. And Claude Giroux had lived at Briere's home the previous season.

"Where I was in my life and my career, it was a good setup," Briere said. "I was going through a separation myself. I had the kids at home, they were getting older. It was pretty cool, the relationship with my kids, the big brother kind of kind of relationship that came out of that. And for me, people say it was nice of you taking him under your wing, but I think both him and Claude did a lot for me too. They kept me younger, kept me closer to the new generation coming into the team and kept me more in touch with our younger guys because I wasn't getting any younger.

"I have to be honest; Sean didn't need a lot of guidance. You could tell he was very mature already at 18 years old, taking care of all his stuff. I didn't really have to worry about him at all."

Couturier might have been more mature than the typical teenage hockey player, but he certainly saw the benefits of staying with a respected veteran like Briere.

"To live with him, it's one thing to see the guys work at the rink, but I think on and off the ice, you can learn a lot, how to be a good pro and how to just represent the Flyers and be mature as a young guy," he said. "And it just made it easier to not have all the responsibilities of paying bills, making sure I'm not late on anything. Those are things that as you get older kind of comes easy, it's life. But when you don't know it, it can be a lot of responsibilities."

They were teammates for just two seasons, but they were together again after Briere retired in 2015, returned to the Philadelphia area and transitioned into a front-office role with the Flyers.

Briere started on the business side, including time running an ECHL team in Maine owned by Comcast-Spectacor, the Flyers' parent company. He shifted into a player development role in 2020 while also informally advising Fletcher, and in 2022 he was named special assistant to the GM, the role he held before replacing Fletcher.

During that time, Couturier was developing into one of the top two-way centers in the NHL. He had back-to-back 30-goal seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19 and won the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the League in 2019-20.

But a back injury that led to surgery cost him most of the 2021-22 season and all of 2022-23. The second surgery, in October 2022, was expected to need a recovery time of 3-4 months. By March 2023, Couturier was practicing on a daily basis and pushing to return to the lineup.

But it was Briere, still new to the GM role, who had to take Couturier's skates away from him.

"It was a tough decision and I know he wasn't happy with it," Briere said. "I think he understood it. I understand also his point of view. He had put in so much work and so much sweat into getting back and pushing himself, and then when he's ready to go, I took that away. But looking back, we still feel it was the right decision to make."

As difficult as it was for each of them, it never put a strain on their relationship.

"It was tough, it was frustrating," Couturier said. "I still tried to sell my case at the time when he announced it to me. He was doing it for the best of me and the organization. It worked out, I guess."

After missing so much time, Couturier has returned as the Flyers' No. 1 center and most dependable player. Entering their game against the New York Rangers on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN360), he has 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists), leads Philadelphia with a face-off winning percentage of 53.0 percent (minimum 100 face-offs) while averaging 19:29 of ice time in 53 games.

His play is a reason the Flyers (30-20-7) are third in the Metropolitan Division with a chance to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Couturier was named Flyers captain Feb. 14, but Briere knew long before this season that he eventually was going to be a leader for an NHL team.

"You could see that right when he got in at 18 years old, that eventually he was a captain-material type of person, just by his demeanor, how he was handling himself, how he carried himself around the rink," Briere said.

The relationship between Briere and Couturier remains strong, and certainly has evolved through time. But one thing that hasn't changed is the honesty at its foundation.

"We're not going to spend much time talking about which restaurants we're going to go to or the card game on the plane," Briere said. "But the one thing I appreciate with him is I know I'm going to get a straight answer from him on anything that I ask him. His evaluation of himself, of the team, is always right-on, and that's what I really appreciate from him.

“One of the things that was always impressive with Sean is his maturity at an early age, and it's still that way today. It hasn't changed and I know I can rely on him for a straight answer when I need one."

And as far as what happens before this season's Trade Deadline (March 8 at 3 p.m. ET)? That's all up to Briere.

"Obviously, we don't have the same conversations that we used to where we'd try to play GM and make trades and talk about that," Couturier said. "That's all on him now, so he's the guy. He's the one with the responsibility, so I can judge him."

Injury updates and pitching plans for Phillies' first 4 spring games

Injury updates and pitching plans for Phillies' first 4 spring games originally appeared on ...

Injury updates and pitching plans for Phillies' first 4 spring games originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Grapefruit League play begins for the Phillies on Saturday and Rob Thomson laid out the pitching plans for the first four games.

As he'd said previously, left-hander Kolby Allard will start Saturday in Dunedin against the Blue Jays and Aaron Nola will start the spring home opener Sunday against the Yankees. Each is expected to pitch two innings.

David Buchanan will start on Monday and Cristopher Sanchez on Tuesday. The games are against the Red Sox and Twins in Fort Myers, a 140-mile trip from Clearwater.

For as good a season as he had in 2023, Sanchez barely had a spring training. He pitched just three innings because of triceps soreness and then ramped up slowly. He enters this camp in a completely different spot — healthy, confident and knowing his rotation spot is solidified.

Injury updates

Alec Bohm will not play until at least one of the Fort Myers games. He's dealing with neck spasms.

• Third-string catcher Rafael Marchan is dealing with a lower back injury. "It's just precaution, shut him down and see if we can calm it down," Thomson told reporters.

Brandon Marsh, who underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee on February 9, ran on Friday without a wrap on the knee.

"They told him to go 60 percent," Thomson said. "I said if that's 60 percent, you're a world-class runner."

The team put a 3-to-4-week timetable on Marsh's return on the day of the surgery and expects him to be ready for Opening Day on March 28 in Philly.

Disclaimer:

This website publishes news articles that contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The non-commercial use of these news articles for the purposes of local news reporting constitutes "Fair Use" of the copyrighted materials as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law.